SIT07 Tourism, Hospitality and Events Training Package V3.0 SAMPLE. Learner guide. Version 2

Transcription

1 SIT07 Tourism, Hospitality and Events Training Package V3.0 SITTTSL004A Source and provide Australian destination information and advice Learner guide Version 2 Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank Product Code: 5650

2 Acknowledgments TAFE NSW Training and Education Support Industry Skills Unit, Meadowbank would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the following people in the production of this learner guide. Writers Jan Jorgensen Teacher, Travel and Tourism TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute Leanne Courtney Teacher, Travel and Tourism TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute Reviewer Karin Rule A/Manager Industry Teams TAFE NSW Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank Project Manager Margaret Heathcote A/Education Programs Manager, TAFE NSW Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank Enquiries Enquiries about this and other publications can be made to: Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank Level 3, Building J, See Street, MEADOWBANK NSW 2114 Tel: Fax: TAFE NSW (Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Copyright of this material is reserved to TAFE NSW Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank. Reproduction or transmittal in whole or in part, other than subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act, is prohibited without the written authority of TAFE NSW Training and Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank. ISBN TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012

3 Table of contents Introduction... 7 Topic 1 Obtaining tourism destination information Sources of tourism destination information Topic 2 Providing tourism destination information Situational and descriptive information Australian destination information Providing destination information to customers Unit summary Resource evaluation form TAFE NSW (Training & Education Support, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012

4 Topic 1 Obtaining tourism destination information Current, accurate and relevant tourism destination information is essential for travel and tourism industry professionals. This information underpins most of the industry s activities. It is required for the development of travel itineraries and tour products. It is essential for the successful sale of tourism products to customers. To provide appropriate customer service, travel and tourism industry personnel must have a sound knowledge base covering domestic and international tourism destinations. Then, constant expanding and updating of this information is required to ensure that the details customers receive are current and accurate. When purchasing tourism products, customers quite rightly expect to receive professional information and advice. Let s consider some of the ways in which travel and tourism industry personnel develop and update their destination knowledge. You should access as many of these information sources as possible so that you can see the type and range of information available for yourself Sources of tourism destination information Current destination information is distributed within the travel and tourism industry in many ways. Many of these information sources can also be accessed by people outside the industry (note particularly numbers 7-15 below). Key sources of destination information include: 1. Industry principals, tour wholesalers, tour operators and national tourism organisations often employ sales representatives to visit other industry firms, particularly retail travel agents, and distribute the latest tourism destination and product information. Sales representatives may call on a regular basis or as required. 2. Many tour wholesalers hold destination and product launches, introducing new destinations and products to those working in other sectors of the travel and tourism industry. This is usually done early in the year when new tour brochures are being distributed To expand and update the knowledge of industry personnel, travel and tourism firms and organisations also hold seminars and workshops focusing on destinations and products. Internet, and fax destination and product updates are a feature of the industry. This is the easiest method to reach a large number of people quickly with the latest information. TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 11 of 56

5 National tourism organisations (NTO s) and other government bodies distribute Agent s Manuals, maps, videos and other destination specific information. Where possible, industry personnel undertake educational/familiarisation visits and carries out site inspections to improve their knowledge. Educational, famils and site inspections are usually provided by principals, tour wholesalers or tour operators. Destination and product updates are a feature of trade journals like Traveltrade and Travel Week. 8. The general media, particularly newspapers, journals and television, is an important source of current destination information. World news is important to travel industry personnel. We must know what is happening in destinations worldwide since this will have an impact on tourism products and services. Many newspapers and journals also have travel sections or features. Television provides travel shows and documentaries on specific destinations. Visual information of this kind is very valuable. 9. Tour brochures and other industry publications like in-flight magazines contain a wealth of destination information. 10. Travel and tourism industry trade shows open to the industry and/ or public are significant. 11. Many industry staff members undertake formal study to improve their destination knowledge (as you are doing now). 12. Informal discussion with well-travelled colleagues, customers and others is a very valuable source of current destination information. Personal travel is even better! 13. Of course, atlases, maps and publications containing maps are essential to fully understand the relationship between places and how they may be arranged in a sequence to form an itinerary. Maps provide other information too. For example, many maps indicate the distances between places. Since distance and travel time are related, this type of information is also necessary for itinerary planning. 14. Industry personnel use a range of reference books and publications to assist them in their role. These publications available both online and in print form provide advice on destination information, visa requirements, customs and health for example. 15. Travel literature is also important. It covers personal travel narratives, memoirs, biographies and photographic records of specific places or journeys. Travel literature often provides interesting insights into destinations not otherwise available, thereby adding another dimension to destination information. Page 12 of 56 TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012

6 Research Name three (3) general media publications (newspapers, magazines, journals) which have a regular travel feature or travel section. a) Name two (2) current television programs which deal with tourism destinations (travel shows or useful documentaries). b) Write a short report providing details about one (1) of these programs. Access a guidebook for an Australian city, town or region. List the type of information presented in the guidebook. Name and briefly describe five (5) websites which are important sources of tourism destination information. TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 13 of 56

7 Cultural research In your own words, briefly explain the following industry abbreviations: famil NTO How do travel and tourism industry principals, tour wholesalers/ operators and NTOs try to ensure that people working in other industry sectors have current, relevant and accurate destination information? Briefly describe three (3) common industry practices. List five (5) other sources of tourism destination information. Page 14 of 56 TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012

8 Topic 2 Providing tourism destination information This is a very big topic because we have the whole of Australia to cover. However, the aim is to provide you with a sound destination information knowledge base appropriate for travel and tourism industry employment. In the process, you will refine skills related to accessing, researching and updating information. These skills will enable you to expand your professional destination knowledge throughout your industry career. Always keep in mind that customers have a right to current, relevant and accurate destination information when they seek advice from a professional tourism industry employee. To assist your learning, much of the material covered is presented in the form of activities for you to complete. These activities involve map work, accessing and researching information to answer short questions, and developing itinerary routes for a series of destinations. Follow the instructions carefully. Collect and read tour brochures. This is essential for the completion of some activities in each sub-topic. The information contained in brochures, particularly the photos, maps and itineraries, helps to explain the significance of specific cities, towns, regions and sites as tourist destinations. Appropriate itinerary routes are also presented clearly and logically. You will also need to access and research information from other sources for some activities. 2.1 Situational and descriptive information When it comes to destinations, our customers ask two main types of questions. Firstly, they ask questions about the location or situation of places. A typical question would be, Where is (place X)? Secondly, they ask questions focussing on descriptive information about places. A typical question would be, What is (place X) like? When customers require situational information, your task is to reply in words. You can t simply point to a map. The only way to reply to customers is to explain the location of a specific place in relation to other places. This is the basis of itineraries. The relationship between places is very important. Here is an example. An inbound tourist in Sydney asks, Where is Newcastle? How will you reply? There are many other places you can use as points of reference. An appropriate answer could be, Newcastle is located on the Hunter River on the NSW coast approximately 180 kms (2. 25 hour drive) north of Sydney, not far from the Hunter Valley vineyards region. As you can see, the relationship between Newcastle and four other places explains the location of Newcastle itself. Many of the activities in this topic will help you to develop your situational destination knowledge. Always note how places relate to each other. Your itinerary plans will then be logical and realistic. TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 15 of 56

9 Customer questions requiring descriptive destination information take many forms. What is the weather like? or What clothes should I take? What are the people/ lifestyle like? What are the food/ shopping facilities/ public transport/ money like? What is the country/ sightseeing like? or What can I see and do? To provide descriptive destination information, knowledge of a range of issues is required. In order to describe destinations, you must know something about their physical geographic features, climate, peoples/ cultures/ lifestyles, economic patterns and practices, political issues, and key sights/ attractions (including major events). Now, let s begin the task of developing the tourism destination knowledge base you require for tourism industry employment. Latitude and longitude Always remember that although we often work with flat maps, the world is a sphere or globe. To assist many human activities, people have imposed a grid pattern on the world. These are the lines of latitude and longitude you see on globes and the maps in your atlas. Since the world is a sphere, the lines of latitude are actually parallel circles running round the world from east to west. The largest of these circles is the Equator (0 ). Other parallels of latitude are measured north and south of the Equator until the North Pole (90 N) and the South Pole (90 S) are reached. The lines of longitude are actually circles running north to south around the world. The meridians of longitude intersect (or meet) at the North and South Poles. Meridians of longitude are measured as being east or west of the Prime Meridian (0 ). This meridian is named after the London suburb of Greenwich. Exactly half way round the world from the Prime Meridian is the International Date Line (180 ). Remember that there are 360 in a circle. By using latitude and longitude measurements, like you use the numbers and letters in a street directory, you can find any destination in the world in your atlas. The index should give the latitude and longitude readings of all the places listed. Climate types and factors which influence climate You should be able to provide a brief description of each of the following climate types. You should know where these climates occur and be able to provide examples of tourist destination countries, cities, towns or regions which experience such climates. Places located in that band of the world which circles the globe between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer (stretching across the Equator) experience a tropical climate. It is hot all year round. The temperature varies very little. The four season cycle does not occur. However, there may be wet and dry seasons. Examples include northern Australia. Page 16 of 56 TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012

10 Places located just south of the Tropic Capricorn experience a subtropical climate. Again it is generally warm throughout the year though there is some evidence of a four season pattern. An example would be the Northern Rivers area of NSW. Places located in the bands circling the globe south of the Tropic of Capricorn and north of the Antarctic Circle, experience a mid-latitude or temperate climate. Most of the world s people live in the mid latitude or temperate zones so there are many examples of tourism destinations. The key feature of a mid-latitude or temperate climate is the occurrence of the four seasons, spring summer autumn and winter. The closer a place is to the Antarctic Circle, the greater the impact of the seasons becomes. Another climate type, the Mediterranean climate, is very predictable. Late spring and summer are hot and dry while late autumn and winter are cold and wet. Perth experiences this type of climate. Continental climates are experienced inland, away from oceans or seas. Water can hold the sun s heat and therefore tends to moderate coastal climates. Land, however, cannot hold heat once the sun has gone. The key feature of continental climates is the great difference between day and night temperatures. For example, compare Sydney and Alice Springs. Tourists undertaking outdoor activities e. g. trekking, in destinations which experience extreme continental climate conditions need to be properly equipped. In some places it can be well over 30 C in the daytime but drop to below freezing at night. Places which experience a monsoon climate have a predictable wet season followed by a dry season (sometimes three seasons - wet, dry and hot). It rains at the same time every year. When the rains actually occur varies from place to place. Examples include Cape York Peninsula. As well as climate types, you should also be able to discuss factors which influence the climate of specific places. These factors include the following: The latitude of a destination, that is, its distance from the Equator. The general rule is that the closer a place is to the Equator, the hotter it gets. The proximity of a destination to hills and mountains. All mountain ranges have a windward (or wet) side which receives more rain (or snow) and a leeward (or dry) side. For example, compare the climates of cities/ towns on the NSW coast and cities/ towns in Central Western NSW. These places are on opposite sides of the Great Dividing Range. The coastal or eastern side of the range is the wet side while the western side of the range is the dry side. The coastal or inland location of a destination. See the paragraph on continental climate above. TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012 Page 17 of 56

11 Prevailing wind directions. Whether winds blow mainly off ocean/ sea or land can be important for the climate of a particular destination. Sea winds are generally more moderate than land winds which can be extreme from very hot to very cold. Seasonality. Seasonal factors of various kinds (mid latitude seasons or monsoon seasons) affect the climate pattern of particular destinations. Peoples/cultures/lifestyles and economic/political issues Many people travel to experience aspects of the culture and lifestyle found in other regions of Australia. For example, many country people go to cities or beach destinations for their holidays, while many city people go to rural destinations. Tourists want to know about the people and lifestyles they will encounter during their holiday. What will the food/restaurants/buildings/houses/transport/art forms/business practices/dress codes/religious practices/customs and traditions/etiquette and manners, and so on be like? You must be able to provide answers to such questions. You must also be aware of the implications of culture shock, that feeling of inadequacy which people experience when they leave their own culture/ lifestyle and enter an unfamiliar cultural environment. All people experience culture shock to some degree. You will know this from your own travels. However, travel and tourism industry personnel aim to minimise culture shock so that a customer s holiday is a success. We do this by providing information which familiarises customers with the cultural environment(s) they will encounter while on holiday. If customers are well informed, culture shock is less likely to be an issue since they will adapt to a new cultural environment far more readily. Political and economic issues are very much part of a particular cultural environment. They also impact on travel patterns. For example, if there is political unrest in a tourist destination, many customers will cancel their holiday arrangements. There have been frequent examples of this in recent times. Fluctuations in exchange rates also affect travel patterns. You should learn as much as you can about cultural, political and economic issues of Australia. Developing and updating such knowledge is an ongoing task. Page 18 of 56 TAFE NSW (TES, Industry Skills Unit Meadowbank) 2012